The end of the Bodo problem is in sight as the Assam Government has decided to create Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. It is learnt that the Assam Government will soon pass a resolution to enable the creation of the BTC. This was decided at the 14th round of tripartite talks between the representatives of Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), Assam Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The Assam Government has also agreed to create four contiguous districts. The four new districts are proposed to be created by bifurcating the six districts in lower Assam. The proposed council is to be divided into four districts including Kokrajhar district for administrative convenience.

A territorial council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution will mean a lot to the Bodos. The major benefit of having a territorial council under Sixth Schedule will be to enjoy constitutional safeguards to protect the lands and thus make the settlement of, and sale and purchase of land by foreigners and others illegal in Assam. This will also help to curb infiltration.

The tribal problem in Assam is basically a land problem. Over the years, the land of the tribal people has been encroached upon by       the non-tribal people of the      plains from within and outside the State and by the immigrants from the erstwhile East Pakistan and present Bangladesh. Having lost their land, the Bodo people became apprehensive of losing their identity too. Gradually their apprehensions and fear grow into an agitation. This resulted in several violent incidents in the northern bank of river Brahmaputra. Lives were lost, trains were blasted and bridges were blown up.

A press note issued by the MHA at the end of the tripartite discussion said that the meeting decided to form a drafting sub-committee for preparing a set of proposals for consideration by the Centre and the Government of Assam through the tripartite negotiation team. The tripartite meeting took stock of the progress made towards an amicable resolution of the issues relating to the Bodo dominated areas of Assam. The participants hoped that a mutually acceptable socio-economic package would be shortly worked out following consultations both at the Central and the State levels and the concerned groups residing in the Bodo areas, the MHA said.

An economic package was also worked out in the tripartite meeting. According to the package, the Centre has agreed to release Rs. 500 crore annually for the next 10 years as a development package for economic development of the BTC areas. The Centre will also to bear the expenditure of creation of four new districts, besides providing incentives for investments in the BTC areas, among other measures. The Bodo leadership has also demanded setting up of a Central University in Kokrajhar, besides medical, engineering and agriculture colleges in the BTC area.

It is now a matter to be watched that how another Bodo underground organisation, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) will react to these proposals. The NDFB, which recently killed 13 persons, will definitely try to scuttle any move to bring back peace in the northern bank of river Bramhaputra as unrest suits them most. But as the Bodo people are all for peace, this time NDFB’s violent ploy may not work.
    
| Assam | North East Enquirer (Headlines) | Nena Home Page |